Fractures
by Syndiciate
Summary: Life as Darth Vader's secret apprentice is no picnic, but it has its moments.
1. Chapter 1

_A roll call of past missions sped through the apprentice's mind. Lord Vader had instructed him to dispatch numerous enemies within the Empire down the years: spies and thieves, mainly, with the occasional high-ranking traitor as well._

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

Starkiller blinked in irritation, sweat dripped from his brow and into his eyes as he carefully added yet another metal crate to the ring of debris currently circling his form. Seeing their opportunity, PROXY lunged at the teen with an electrostaff set to stun, landing a hit on his young charge. The apprentice gave a brief groan and the crate wobbled slightly in its ascent before joining the rest of the debris in a steady orbit. The boy glared at the droid that had been his constant companion for as long as he could remember.

"That was a cheap blow PROXY."

"Perhaps, master. But then, it was Lord Vader who said you must overcome your physical limitations." They almost sounded condescending.

"Easy for you to say, droids don't have to worry about such things."

"Quite right, master." This time, Starkiller definitely caught the hint of smugness in the droid's tone.

He gave PROXY a dry look, one which the droid studiously ignored.

A smile slowly crept onto the young Sith's face as he caused a floating piece of pipe to arc towards PROXY's head. The droid nimbly dodged it but barely managed to bat a second projectile to the side with their electrostaff.

"Really master?" PROXY inquired dryly, though Starkiller believed he heard a hint of amusement in the droid's tone as well.

"Fair's fair." Grinning, the teen sent another object hurtling towards the droid.

Suddenly, PROXY stiffened and the space around them darkened seeming to absorb the surrounding light as the form of Darth Vader appeared.

Starkiller cringed as the object he'd sent at PROXY bounced off the holographic chest-plate of his master. The objects that had been orbiting him crashed to the ground as he sank to his knees before the Dark Lord.

"Master." He murmured, averting his eyes from Vader's cold gaze. "Please, forgive me. PROXY and I were in the middle of a spa-"

"Your excuses mean nothing to me." The Dark Lord stated coldly. The tone with which he had delivered the words seemed to decrease the temperature in the room significantly.

"Your transgression shall be dealt with at a later date. There are other matters to attend to."

Starkiller bowed his head, attempting to suppress the burst of excitement that had flooded through him upon Vader's pronouncement.

"Who is the target master?"

The Dark Lord appeared to study him for several seconds behind his unreadable gaze before responding.

"Deral Corvice. The newly appointed Imperial governor of Duro. He has come to an accord with Black Sun syndicate. Eliminate him and ensure that his successor knows the price of associating with criminals." He noticed that Vader's hand had curled into a fist by the end of his statement before the transmission was abruptly cut short.

Starkiller let loose a shaky breath. He knew of his master's hatred for the head of Black Sun; Prince Xizor, having sensed his master's anger when the crime lord's name had been brought up by PROXY during his lessons on the various criminal factions that existed throughout the galaxy. If he did well on this mission, perhaps his master would be lenient with him when the "transgression" was addressed upon his return.

Starkiller shook his head. It didn't matter either way. He would execute his master's will to the best of his abilities because that was what he had been trained to do.

Calling his lightsaber to his hand, he ordered PROXY to fill him in on the details of the target as he began to make his way towards the hangar. The droid followed him dutifully, transforming into a haughty looking human male as he provided a full bio of the man.

"Deral Corvice. Human. Male. Age; 41 standard years. He was personally appointed to the position of Imperial governor of Duro by the Emperor and is currently the heir to a sizable fortune along with a large stake in the Tagge Mining Company after a speeder bike incident involving his older brother. Suspected of having various contacts in the criminal underworld, Deral Corvice has made a name for himself through methods some in the Senate have deemed "excessive" when ensuring planets reach their quotas for the Empire.

Snorting, he shook his head. "Fratricide and pointless cruelty. No wonder he's the Emperor's new favorite. I'm sure they exchange torture methods over a bottle of Corellian red."

The young Sith wrinkled his nose as they entered the hangar and the Rogue Shadow came into sight.

"Speaking of Corellian red..."

The current captain of the Rogue Shadow shot him a drunken grin as he and PROXY rounded the corner into the hangar bay.

"Ah, don't be like that kid. Wine is good for the heart. You know I'll get you where you need to go, sober or not."

"Considering how much you consume, I'm doubtful. And whether or not we get there isn't the question. It's getting there in one piece I'm worried about." The young assassin grumbled.

The man threw back his head in laughter and the apprentice struggled to keep a smile off his face.

"Careful captain, if I fail my mission because you couldn't handle your booze, it'll mean both our heads."

The former Imperial officer gave him a smirk and rustled the teen's hair despite the glare he received in return.

"Wouldn't dream of it lad. This face is too pretty to let it go to waste." He replied, gesturing at his own unshaven mug.

Climbing up the ramp of the Rogue Shadow and entering the cockpit, he strapped into the pilot's seat and began to adjust the controls before turning to the still scowling adolescent who had followed him up the ramp and into the ship's interior. "Where are we off to today?"

"Duro." The apprentice's response was curt, still somewhat annoyed by the pilot's previous actions.

_"No. Not annoyed."_ Starkiller thought to himself as he tried to place the feeling that had risen in him at the drunken Corellian's antics. _"Disconcerted?" _He paused for a moment, mulling it over. That was closer to the mark but still somewhat off. He would have to meditate on it later.

Rolling his eyes when the brooding teen gave no further response, the man once known as Lieutenant Meris gave his young passenger a lazy salute before keying in the coordinates to their destination.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Author's Note: Hey all. This is my most recent attempt at a Star Wars fic. Unlike my last one involving Dooku and Yoda, this won't be a oneshot. The Rise of the Empire era ( the period of time between RotS and ANH ) is one of my favorites in Star Wars alongside the Prequel era. Considering Starkiller was apprenticed to Vader from early childhood into his late teens, the character can reasonably be fit into all manner of galactic events. I figured I'd start us off pretty tame with an ****assassination, perhaps with a few notable cameos here and there. ;) Hope you enjoy this new project!**


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Meris looked on warily as the boy and his droid danced back and forth across the cabin, their blades flashing brightly each time they met, wondering how he had gone from a high ranking officer of the most powerful military in galactic history to a mere errand boy. Not even an errand boy for Lord Vader, but for his teenage pupil. Meris's gaze wandered over to the empty stack of bottles in the corner.

_"Oh yes. That." _

Turning his gaze back to the duel playing out before him the captain finally decided to voice his concern, with tact, of course.

"I would've thought you'd have your fill of that that back on the ship." The captain pointed out in a bored tone.

Starkiller shot a quick glare at the man before turning his attention back to the fight.

"It's necessary to keep one's skills honed through sparring. Merely practicing the katas isn't enough." The boy proclaimed haughtily, simultaneously parrying what would have been a deadly blow to the head from the much taller droid.

_"He's a fanatic."_ Meris thought sourly. When he'd first met the kid, he had thought that their loyalty only extended as far as Vader's reach. A mission to the Outer Rim where the boy had been sent to recover some sort of artifact had quickly cured Meris of such notions. The boy served Vader because he wanted to, as difficult as that was to believe.

Deciding to approach it another way Meris gave a smile at the boy's response.

"Of course. No substitute for the real thing... But is it really wise to be exhausting yourself like this right before a mission?" Meris allowed his statement to trail off as if he had only just realized this himself.

"He is correct master." PROXY noted cheerily with a downward slash intended to cleave his young charge in half.

"Should this duel reach its natural conclusion, you will be unable to complete your mission due to your untimely termination or, at a minimum, require three hours of rest in order to ensure you are operating at peak efficiency."

Starkiller grunted in begrudging acknowledgement of their points and, to Meris's relief, deactivated his blade.

Directing his gaze towards the captain, Starkiller attempted to keep his voice even as he addressed him "When we will we arrive?"

Figuring that he'd won all the victories he was going to today, Meris gave a neutral response "Two standard hours."

The boy nodded absentmindedly in response. Turning to his droid he gave the order to alert him ten minutes prior to their arrival before going off to isolate himself in his training room to meditate. Meris watched him as he went, before turning to the droid that seemed a little lost without its master in the room. Feeling slightly bad for it, Meris decided to offer it a distraction.

"Hey. Droid. Fancy a game of sabacc?"

PROXY turned to him, their photoreceptors flashing once or twice as if in thought, before taking a seat across from the ship's captain.

o-o-O-o-o

Starkiller stared down at his hands in frustration. Upon entering the room he had walked to its furthest corner and settled into a meditative pose, attempting to tune out the world around him. That had been about thirty minutes ago. While his ability to attain the serenity or even dark contemplation necessary to enter a meditative trance had always been wanting, he was usually able to do so within a few minutes of quiet and solitude. Not this time.

Disappointment and relief that his master had not been present to witness this failure warred within him. Further instruction from his master would not be without its costs, Starkiller shuddered just imagining them, but the rewards more than made up for it. Raw unfiltered access to the Darkside. The feeling of clarity he achieved when fully immersed was beyond exhilarating. It was addicting. Flexing his hand, Starkiller got to his feet and began to pace across the room.

_"What is wrong with me?" _He thought to himself, running a hand through his short cut hair. As he did this, he heard muffled laughter echoing down the hallway from the ship's cockpit. The noise caused the young Sith apprentice to frown as he realized the source of his distraction.

_"Why did he care whether or not I was exerting myself before a mission? _Now that he had had the thought, it seemed so obvious that had been what was bothering him.

_He even sounded...__" _Starkiller shook his head to rid himself of such a ridiculous notion.

_"The pilot has no reason to be concerned about me."_ He reminded himself firmly. He couldn't quite stop the next thought that popped into his head.

_"But then why did he say anything?" _His brow furrowed in thought.

It stayed that way for several seconds before an answer came to him. As it did, an amused smile slowly made its way onto his face.

_"He's worried about what will happen to him if I fail the mission."_ The teen thought triumphantly.

Satisfied with this conclusion, Starkiller smiled contentedly, allowing his gaze to be drawn to the point between two walls and his legs to fold beneath him. Detaching himself from his surroundings, worldly concerns faded to the back of his mind as he sunk into his meditations.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Author's Note: Hey gang, it's been a while. First off, I want to thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. I love reading them and they help to keep me on the right track. I also want to thank everybody who's supported this fic by giving it a read and to ask all of you to stay safe out there. COVID19 is something we're all going through together and it's something we'll get through together. I know I plan on using this "unexpected free time" as an excuse to update stories I'd put on the backburner, start shows I'd planned on watching but never got around to and, in general, just finish all the stuff I'd pushed off to the side. Hope you guys are keeping busy as well. Til next time. **


	3. Chapter 3

Meris looked down at his hand sourly. The Evil One grinned back up at him.

Sighing, he glanced at the rest of his cards.

_"9, 2, 4, 7." _He grimaced. A score of 22, one away from a sabacc... If you didn't count the -15 from The Evil One.

"Karking reshuffle." He muttered allowed. He glanced at the droid, looking for a reaction.

They were completely unreadable. As they had been from the start of the game. He supposed that came with the territory of being a droid who's primary programming was to kill a master who could see the future...

Thinking for a moment, Meris unlocked the 2 and 4 that he had been holding in the last round. Had had been sitting on a solid 20 in the previous round. Only three away from a sabacc. Now, his hand was sitting at a 7. Sighing, Meris locked in the The Evil One along with the 7 and 9. This was the final round so he only had two shots at this.

He shifted the 2 and the 4. The cards faces shifted abruptly to that of the Commander and The Idiot.

Meris could only stare down at them in wry amusement. Even the cards were taunting him.

The shifting phase hadn't done him much good changing his score from a 7 to 13. But he still had the drawing phase.

Looking down at The Idiot, Meris calculated his odds. With a score of 13 he needed a high valued Legate from this trade in, but not too high valued. Anything 10 or below would do, 11 or higher and he would bomb out. Any of the face cards would also doom him. There was no way a droid with their ability to calculate odds had a score below 13 or above -13. A droid might bomb out if they got particularly unlucky but they'd never take the kind of risks that would put you that low. The kind of risks Meris was now forced to take...

Shaking his head, Meris went back to his calculations. Two of the Face Cards were accounted for in his hand. That left up to fourteen of them along with all twenty of the Legates with a value above 10 possibly still in the deck. That meant his odds were a little better than 50/50, considering the droid likely had a a few of them in his own hand.

Annoyed that he'd left himself in a position that was essentially a coin toss, albeit, slightly in his favor, Meris turned in The Idiot and waited to see what card he'd be dealt.

The sabacc dealer lit up and spat out the card towards him. Slowly, sliding the card across the table, Meris placed it within his deck looking down in surprise.

_"Huh. A 6."_ He thought to himself. That left him with a final score of 19. Not bad. Only 4 away from a sabacc and 1 away from the 20 score he had been considering locking in. Now he could only hope that the reshuffle had effected the droid's hand as much as it had his.

The droid laid out his own hand on to to table. "20" He said coolly. Meris gaped at the droid, eyes wide.

"How did you get so close to a sabacc after the reshuffle?" He asked furiously. The droid's photo-receptors remained on Meris with a steadiness that was eerie.

"I locked in my hand prior to the reshuffle."

Throwing down his own cards Meris bit his tongue before he could say anything he regretted, crossing his arms as he fumed in silence.

Glancing down at the cards, the droid's expression seemed to form into a satisfied smirk, though it was technically impossible for him to do so.

"Quite the game, captain. It appears we finished it just in time as well." The droid commented pointing at the view-port, the white streaks around them slowly disappearing as the ship settled into real-space.

Meris grunted in acknowledgement, still not quite over his loss. After a pause he nodded to the droid.

"I'll go and inform the boy." He got up before the droid could say anything, making his way over to the apprentice's cabin.

He raised a hand to knock as he approached but before it had even touched the door a voice froze it in place.

"Enter." The voice was even but brusque, wasting no time. Meris repressed a shiver. A reminder that his master was no ordinary adolescent.

The teen currently sat cross legged in the center of the room, their eyes closed.

Clearing his throat, Meris got right to the point "We've arrived."

The apprentice's eyes snapped open as he stood. "Good. We'll make landfall near the mining sector. I'm sure Corvice is overseeing the operations directly considering how many credits he has riding on this deal."

Nearly shaking his head in disbelief, Starkiller continued "He could have made a fortune just by giving the mining rights to the Tagge Corporation considering the stake his family has in the company, but he had to double dip by selling to criminals as well. I'll enjoy removing his filth from the galaxy."

Meris could tell he meant it too. Not wanting to encourage the young man's blood lust but not knowing what to say that wouldn't irritate him further, he simply nodded, waiting for his dismissal before making his way back to the pilot seat and punching in the coordinates.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Author's Note: I wasn't sure whether I wanted Meris's gambit to pay off or not so I actually left the decision up to a deck dealer. In sabaac, there are fifteen "Legates" which are cards with a number value of 1 to 15. This lines up pretty well with actual real world decks which has the number cards 2 through 10 along with the Jack, Queen, King and Ace. I just included two jokers of different types to represent a 1 and 15 respectively and used whatever came up which, in this case, happened to be a 6. I made the decision to have PROXY lock in his own 20 hand early on. A droid is going to realize that the odds of shifting or trading in a card that will exceed a score that close to a sabacc ( -23, 23, The Idiot and a 2 and 3 of the same suit ) already is pretty low from a probability standpoint so you might as well keep it. Humans don't tend to think like that though. We're all about trying to get more for ourselves, even when we know what we have is good. This relates pretty heavily to why Meris is currently a pilot for the Rogue Shadow so I thought this chapter would be a nice bit of narrative irony along with a fun chapter to do before we dive into the action ( don't worry, it's coming next chapter ). **

**Hope you guys enjoyed this update! The next one should be coming out soon and should be a bit longer than normal, so look forward to that. **


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